Lock and shield for foot mats



F. B. HELIES.

LOCK AND SHIELD FOR FOOT MATS. APPUCATION HLED MAY 4.1921.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOCK AND SHIELD FOR FOOT MATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

Application flied. May 4, 1921. Serial No. 466,652.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. Harms, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Lock and Shield for Foot Mats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates more particularly to a class of devices adapted to be used in cog junction with a class of floor mats.

y invention has for its object primarily to provide a device designed to be employed for locking especially the ends of rods or bars against tendency to accidentally spread apart when in use for connecting together parts of certain types of foot mats, the rods being generally formed in elongated substantially U-shapes, on the arms of which are provided pads arranged in rows so that the spanning members and bent free ends of the rods protrude beyond the pads, and the device also serves as a shield for preventing the footwear or clothing of persons when stepping on the mats from being damaged by contact with the ends of the rods. These advantages are attained mainly by providing a cap element having a recessed body for receiving the bent ends of an approximately U- haped rod protruding beond one or more rods of foot pads connected b the rods so that the projecting ends will be covered, and disposed across the entrance of the recess of the cap element as well as across the ends of the rod is a clip element for being clamped to the cap element whereby the cap element will be locked to the rod and to its free ends.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lock and shield of a very simple, efficient and durable construction which may he made of any suitable material in various sizes and shapes.

With these and other objects in view the invention will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing a plan, partly broken away,

of part of a floor mat with a number of my improved locks and shields applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View showing an elevation, partly in section, of one end of the mat.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged inverted plan of the cap element used in the device.

Fig. at is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of the form of clip element employed in the devlce.

The device or look and shield has a cap element 10 which may be of any suitable shape and size, though the form of the element illustr: ted is made with a body 11 of an elongated shape preferably with curved ends as 12, 13, and one face of this body is recessed, as at 14. Protruding from the curved ends 12 and 13 of the recessed body 11 may be two projecting flanges 15 and 16 each of substantially a semi-circular shape, and the side edges of the walls of the recess 14 of the body between the flanges 15 and 16 may be notched, as at 17 and 18. The edges of the notched portions 17 and 18 of the body are turned in opposite lateral directions relative to the recessed body to provide two ribs or flanges 19 and 20.

In practice the device is employed especially in conjunction with types of floor mats, as 21, which are made in various shapes and sizes for use at doors and on the foot boards of automobiles and elsewhere. Such mats are usually made of disks of sole leather arranged into rows of pads, as 22, and the disks of each pair of the rows are strungon the arms, as 23 and 24, of rods or bars of substantially U-shape so that the spanning end portion, as 25, of each rod protrudes beyond one of the ends of the rows of disks. Each of the U-shaped rods is of a length so that the second ends of its arms extend beyond the other ends of the rows of disks, and these free ends are bent, as at 26 and 27, toward each other.

When such mats are in use the U-shaped rods tend to spread with the result that the mats soon become worthless. In order to prevent the rods from spreading one of the cap elements 10 is applied on the spanning end portion 25 of each of the rods, while another of the elements is applied on the bent free ends26 andQZ; of the rod, the cap elements bein ofsizes so that the bent parts of the ro s will snugly fit in the recess 14 of the body 11 'of each element. The flanges 15,' 16 and the ribs 19, 20 will then be in opposed relation tothe ends of the adjacent rows of pads, and to fasten each of the capvelements 10 to the rod, a clip element 28 is provided.

he clip element 28 is preferably C0111- posed of a plate 29 of substantially a rectangular shape ofa size so that it will fit in the notches Hand 18 of the cap element 10, and on the lengthwise edges of the plate 29 are grippin members or flanges 30 and itangularly from one face of 28 is preferably-made 0 f pliable metal, and when the cap elementsare applied to each of the rods, as-above explained; one of the clip elements is disposed between each of the cap elements and the opposed pads of the mat so that the plate 2290f the clip elements is arranged across the entrance of the recess 14 of the body 11 of the cap element and across the portion of the U-shaped rod seated in the recess with flanges 30 and ll protruding beyond the ribs 19'and 200i the cap element. The flanges 80 and 31 are then bent over in lapping arrangement on the ribs 19 and 20 of the cap element, and the rods will thereby beprevented from ten dency to spread as well as causing the mat to be very durable. The device will also provide a shield against danger of the foot or clothing of the person stepping onthe mat from being damaged by Contact with the protruding ends of the rods of the mat.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferredform of my invention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this inventiom therefore, I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

aving thus described my invention. I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A lock and shield oi the character dc scribed, comprising a cap element having a recessed body with ribs protruding in opposite lateral directions from opposite parts of the body, and a pliable clip element adapted to be disposed across the entrance of the body and over the rod for being bent into clamping engagement with the ,nibsof the body of the cap element.

A lock and shield of the character described, eomprisin cap element having a recessed elongated" odyf'or receiving the bent portion of a nod, said cap element having two notches in the lengthwise edge of the wall of the recess of the body, and a pliable plate adapted to be seated in the notches of the cap element andh'aving two angularl projecting flanges adapted to be bent over in lapping arrangement on the body of the cap element.

3. A lock and shield of the character de scribed, comprising a cap element having a recessed elongated body for receiving the bent portion of a rod, said cap element haw ing two notches in opposite parts of the lengthwise edge 01": the wall of the recess of the body, two ribs protruding laterally from the edges of the notches, and a pliable clip element having a plate adapted to be seated in the notches of the capeloment and having two angularly projecting flanges adapted to be bent over in lappingarrange ment on the ribs of the cap element.

4. A lock and shield of the character described, comprising a cap element having a recessed elongated body for receiving the bent portion oi a rod. two flanged members projecting from the ends of the edgeof the wall of the recess ofthe body and said cap element-having two notches in the lengthwise edge of the wall of the recess of the body between said flanges, and a pliable 9 clip element having a plate adapted totbe seated in the notches of the cap element and also adapted to be bent over in lapping arrangement on the body of the cap element.

5. A lock and shield of the character de scribed. comprising a cap element having a recessed elongated body for receivingthe bent portion of a rod two flanged members projecting from the ends of theedge of the wall of the recess of the body and said cap element having two notches in the length wise edge of the wall of the recess of the body between said flanges, two ribs protruding laterally from the edges or the notches, and a pliable clip element having a plate adapted to be seated in the notches oi th cap element and also adapted to be bcntovcr in lapping arrangement on the ribs of the rap element.

his &1{ !ll=ulmi] signed and witnessed this 3d day of May. A. D. 192i.

Fl-LiNli ii. lll'ILllGS. Witnesses B. EMnIoH, J. FREDERIGK CnYnn. 

